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From The Associated Press

Phil Rizzuto, Yankees’ Hall of Fame shortstop, dies at 89
NEW YORK—Phil Rizzuto, the Hall of Fame shortstop during the Yankees’ dynasty years and beloved by a generation of fans who delighted in hearing him exclaim “Holy cow!” as a broadcaster, has died. He was 89.

Rizzuto had pneumonia and died in his sleep late Monday night, daughter Patricia Rizzuto said Tuesday. He had been in declining health for several years and was living at a nursing home in West Orange, N.J.

Known as “The Scooter,” Rizzuto was the oldest living Hall of Famer. He played for the Yankees throughout the 1940s and ‘50s, won seven World Series titles, was an AL MVP and played in five All-Star games.

Rizzuto later announced Yankees games for four decades and his No. 10 was retired by baseball’s most storied team.

“I guess heaven must have needed a shortstop,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement.

Rizzuto is survived by his wife, Cora, whom he married in 1943; daughters Cindy Rizzuto, Patricia Rizzuto and Penny Rizzuto Yetto; son Phil Rizzuto Jr.; and two granddaughters.

Willis ends winless skid against D-Backs
MIAMI — Mired in the longest winless streak of his career, Dontrelle Willis was desperate for run support.

So the Florida Marlins scored 14 times Tuesday night.

Willis earned his first win since May 29, striking out 11 in seven innings and letting the Marlins' bats do the rest in a 14-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Willis (8-12) had gone 0-7 over his past 13 starts. His teammates came to the rescue, building a 14-1 lead by the time he took the mound in the fifth inning.

Byung-Hyun Kim (6-6) lasted only 17 pitches in his second start for the Diamondbacks since they claimed him off waivers from Florida. He retired one batter and gave up four runs, three earned, hiking his ERA with Arizona to 23.62.

The short outing taxed the Arizona bullpen, and infielder Augie Ojeda made his pitching debut with a perfect eighth inning.

The Diamondbacks, who began the series with the best record in the NL, lost for only the fifth time in their past 22 games.

Miguel Cabrera drove in three runs and hit his 29th homer, and Mike Jacobs added his ninth homer for Florida. NL batting leader Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, matching the longest of his career.

Jacobs had three of the Marlins' 14 hits. Their run total matched a season high. Trying to stay out of last place in the NL East, Florida has won four of its past five games.

Comments about gay soccer player cause uproar
SAO PAULO, Brazil—The director of a prominent soccer team insinuates on national television that a player on a rival team is gay. The player sues for slander and goes on TV to deny it. A judge causes an uproar by saying gays don’t belong in Brazilian soccer.

With a narrative like a Latin American soap opera, the flap over the sexual orientation of Sao Paulo midfielder Richarlyson has shaken the hallowed and macho institution of Brazilian soccer.

The commotion started in June when Palmeiras club director Jose Cyrillo Junior was asked on TV whether it was true that a soccer player from his team was negotiating for an exclusive television interview to announce he was gay.

Cyrillo denied the report, but added “Richarlyson ‘almost’ played for Palmeiras,” suggesting the 24-year-old player was gay.

Cyrillo later apologized, but Richarlyson—whose father played professionally and whose brother played in Portugal and is now with Brazil’s Cruzeiro—filed a criminal complaint for slander.

Judge Manoel Maximiano Junqueira Filho stoked the dispute by dismissing Richarlyson’s claim and issuing a ruling that suggested he leave the game if he were gay. If he weren’t, the judge said, Richarlyson was obliged to defend himself on the same TV program.

“Not that a homosexual can’t play soccer,” Filho wrote. “He can, but he must form his own team and federation, setting up matches with those who want to play against him.”

The judge concluded it is not “reasonable to accept homosexuals in Brazilian soccer because it would hurt the uniformity present” in team sport. Soccer, the judge said, is a “virile game” but “not homosexual,” and allowing gays could lead to affirmative action for the sport requiring quotas of gays.

Pedro Martinez pitches 4 innings in 2nd rehab start
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.—Pedro Martinez pitched three perfect innings in his second rehabilitation start Tuesday before allowing three runs in the fourth.

Martinez, who has been working his way back from right shoulder surgery in October, threw 60 pitches for the New York Mets’ Rookie-level Gulf Coast League team and then another 20 fastballs in the bullpen.

“I like this outing a lot more than the other one,” Martinez said. “I am more in command, and I actually felt like I pitched a little bit, making pitches where I wanted to, and overall it was a jump ahead. It was a great improvement.”

On Aug. 8, the three-time Cy Young winner struggled through three innings and was pulled before reaching his target pitch count, allowing five runs and six hits in a Class A start.

On Tuesday, Martinez gave up a three-run home run to Pedro Baez with two outs in the fourth after allowing a single and a walk.

“I hung a couple,” Martinez said. “I threw a couple that worked pretty good. Some of the curveballs were really good. The changeup was good. They are coming along. It just takes a little while.”

Martinez, who had four strikeouts, could have gone out for another inning but his teammates forced a pitching change and he cooled down on the bench.

Tiger announces course design in N.C. mountains
TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—Tiger Woods made it official Tuesday—the world’s No. 1 golfer plans to design his first American course in the mountains of North Carolina.

“I guess we all know why we’re here,” Woods said, smiling.

The Cliffs at High Carolina will be located near Asheville, N.C., and will allow only walkers, something Woods said was key to the deal.

Woods wants to let the scenic land dictate the layout and hopes the course gives golfers a fair test and a chance to connect with nature.

The 31-year-old said he will gradually grow his design business, selecting projects that fit within his crowded schedule.

But he pledged to come to the site as often as necessary to get the job done right.

“As you know, I’m kind of a perfectionist,” Woods said.

Woods won his 13th major tournament this past weekend at the PGA Championship.

He joins a community of golf courses, known as The Cliffs, that includes three layouts designed by Jack Nicklaus. Woods, who won his 13th major at the PGA Championship on Sunday, is chasing Nicklaus’ record of 18.

Woods last year launched his own company, Tiger Woods Design, and he took on a project in Dubai for his first golf course.

Busch gives Joe Gibbs Racing powerful 3-car lineup
HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina—Kyle Busch signed with Joe Gibbs Racing on Tuesday, giving the NASCAR team a powerful three-car punch that should keep it on pace with Hendrick Motorsports.

Busch has spent the past three seasons at Hendrick, but was dropped in June when the team made room for Dale Earnhardt Jr. It put the 22-year-old Busch on the free agent market, and he had no shortage of suitors in a busy 10-week negotiating period.

Gibbs, which had made an unsuccessful bid to land Earnhardt, joined the race to sign Busch with the full support of its two star drivers, two-time series champion Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin, a title contender.

It creates a lineup of three solid championship contenders for a team that has won three of the last seven Nextel Cup titles.

“We leaned a lot on Denny and Tony during this process,” team president J.D. Gibbs said. “Both of them said ‘Off the track and on the track, there is no one who has the talent this guy does and bringing him on board really gives us three guys who can win week in and week out.’”

But it also gives JGR three strong-willed individuals who subscribe to winning at all costs, and believe there’s no such thing as friends on the race track. All three have tangled with others on the track, including Stewart and Busch last season, and even Stewart with teammate Hamlin this year.